The Banks County boys were undone over the weekend after playing one of the best halves in two seasons against Stephens County the previous Tuesday.
According to coach Mike Ruth, the Banks County boys played the best first half of a game that he has seen in two years during the Dec. 14 match-up with Stephens County. Both teams were close in the first quarter, Banks County held a small advantage, 14-13.
During the second quarter, the Leopards got aggressive and tilted the table for a 17-8 quarter, to lead at the break 31-21. The 10 point stretch would prove to be what was needed to hold out for the win in the 61-50 contest. The win over the Indians is the eighth win for the Leopards.
“We felt we had to play our best to beat Stephens County,” Ruth said. “They are very athletic and we had to find our aggressiveness. It was a complete ball game for us and probably one of the best we’ve played in two years. Especially the first half.”
Quintin Lovelace led the boys to the victory with 19 points, followed by Adam Hiten with 12. Other scorers were: Taylor Foster, 8 points; Clayton Martin, 7 points; Seth McEntire, 6 points; Trey Martin, 4 points; Jacob Blalock, 3 points; and Daz Steeple, 2 points.
Harrison Dale led the team under the boards, pulling down 16 rebounds. Banks County had several good transitions and Ruth said that the Leopards tallied several offensive and defensive rebounds.
“We played aggressive and we were hoping to carry that over to the Piedmont tournament,” said Ruth.
Unfortunately for the Leopards, due to the school closing on Thursday, the boys were unable to practice to prepare for the first round game against White County. This setback came back to hurt during the game as White County defeated Banks County 58-42 during the first round of the Piedmont College fourth annual Holiday Classic.
“If we had just a little more time to prepare, it would have been a much better game for us,” said Ruth. “They ran all around us, someone gave them a good scouting report and they had us boxed out. When we did get inside we missed lay-ups. We just couldn’t score, inside or outside.”
White County went on a 9 point run during the first quarter, as Banks County wouldn’t get points posted until the final minute of the quarter, with a three pointer from Hiten.
The second quarter wasn’t much better for the Leopards as White County entered the break ahead, 23-12. The Warrior’s six-foot-two point guard Ashley Lowery, was one of the biggest challenges for Banks County.
“We had defense problems against the Lowery kid,” Ruth said. “He was all over and put the first several points up for them.”
White County didn’t let up in the third quarter, adding 17 points to outscore Banks County by four points. The Leopards were trailing by seven, but a buzzer beating outside shot from Hiten cut the deficit by three.
The Banks County boys made a final attempt in the final minutes, putting 17 points up, but White County matched them point-for-point with 19, to take the 58-42 victory.
“We couldn’t get going,” Ruth said.
Hiten led the team with four three-pointers for 12 points. Other scoring included: Steeple and C. Martin with six points apiece. T. Martin and Foster put in three while Lovelace, Blalock and Jonah Thomas added two points apiece.
After the tough loss to White County, Banks County was hoping to turn it around in the second game of the tourney, as the Leopards faced North Oconee.
It was a sluggish start for the Leopards as North Oconee pulled ahead 12-5 after the first quarter. Heading into the break, the sluggishness and lack of aggression on defense placed Banks County in an 11-point hole, 27-16.
Coming out in the third quarter, the Leopards switched to a full court man-to-man strategy and started to gain ground, outscoring the Titans 13-11. Banks County continued the run into the fourth quarter as the boys tied the game 47-47. Critical fouls at the end of the game were costly for the Leopards, as North Oconee went to the line and pulled out the 55-48 upset.
“We held them under 60 points and that is a good sign, but we couldn’t score when we needed too,” Ruth said.
Key turnovers allowed Banks County to cut away the deficit. Ruth said that the boys forced over 20 turnovers, with most coming in the second half.
“We had some nice looks off of turnovers. We hit four three-pointers in the fourth quarter and we had a heck of a run to tie it up with two minutes left to play,” he said. “We played hard and played well. I felt like we can beat a team like North Oconee when we are playing like we should.”
Blalock led the team in scoring, putting up 10 points. Lovelace and Steeple were close behind, each scoring 9 points. Steeple was also recognized by Ruth as having a great defensive game. Other scorers were: Hiten, 5 points; Dale, 5 points; Foster, 3 points; T. Martin 3 points; and McEntire, 2 points.
The Leopards now have two weeks off before Banks County returns Jan. 7 to play against East Jackson on the road. The Jan. 7 game is the first of three road games the Leopards play after returning to the hardwood after the holidays. Ruth said that returning to triple away games will be a challenge for the team, but he felt like it is a challenge that will be good and that Banks County can play with each of the teams.
The Leopards play East Jackson on Jan. 7, Rabun County, Jan. 11, and East Hall, Jan. 14.
